The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the organization behind the Oscars — is trying to avoid giving awards to AI. An updated list of rules for the 99th Academy Awards, released on Friday, includes many that are aimed at ensuring that a human meaningfully contributed to the creation of the movie to be eligible for its awards.
The new rules state that “only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” are eligible for awards. This is an issue that popped up recently with the announcement that actor Val Kilmer’s estate signed off on director Coerte Voorhees using generative AI to include an AI version of Kilmer in his new movie, As Deep As The Grave. Kilmer was involved with the initial stages of the movie’s production before his death in 2025.
AI-edited or written screenplays won’t be eligible either, with the rules saying they “must be human-authored” to be eligible for recognition. And if the Academy has questions about a movie’s human authorship, it says it reserves the right to request more information.
The Academy and Writers Guild Association-West didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the new anti-AI rules. A representative for the actors union SAG-AFTRA declined to comment, but the organization has similar rules for its own Actor Awards to prioritize humans in moviemaking.
These changes are especially important as AI tools continue to infiltrate Hollywood, from script creation to special effects and even new, entirely AI-created actors like Tilly Norwood. Unions representing actors, writers and directors have been fighting studios for years over AI protections. It was one of the biggest demands during the Hollywood strikes in the summer of 2023. Some of the biggest concerns are around protecting their work and likenesses from unauthorized and unpaid AI projects, along with worries about job loss and AI’s effect on human creativity.
There are several non-AI changes, including that an actor may be nominated for the same award for multiple performances if each nabs a spot in the top five ranking. So Zendaya could be nominated for best actress for her role in Dune: Part Three and for her upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The award for best international film will now be awarded to the film’s director, rather than the country or region they hail from, and will include their name on the plaque.
